KR20190127397A - Dressing patch - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dressing patch capable of monitoring the level of a wound and the degree of healing of the wound. The dressing patch of the present invention includes: a dressing layer touching a wound of a user; a sensing unit formed on the dressing layer to generate an electrical signal; a data collection unit electrically connected to the sensing unit to collect the electrical signal generated from the sensing unit; and a cover unit overlapping the dressing layer and configured to be attached to the body of the user, wherein the sensing unit touches exudate absorbed by the dressing layer to generate an electrical signal.

Description

Dressing Patches {DRESSING PATCH}

The present invention relates to a dressing patch capable of monitoring the level of the wound and the degree of healing of the wound.

It takes a lot of time and money to treat chronic wounds such as bedsores and diabetes feet. In particular, patients undergoing surgery due to pressure sores may lie down for months, which can be financially burdened and incur large psychosocial costs associated with chronic wounds. In order to treat chronic wounds, the wound is typically wrapped in a typical wet dressing such as hydrocolloid, hydrogel, alginate, etc. after removal of foreign substances caused by the wound.

 The effect of a wet dressing to cover the wound and maintain a moist environment is to allow the regenerated epithelial cells to develop smoothly along the wound window under the moist environment. In a dry environment, regenerated epithelial cells do not develop along the window, resulting in slow recovery and ineffective healing of wounds. In addition, substances involved in wound healing such as multinuclear leukocytes, macrophages, proteolytic enzymes, and cell growth factors contained in the effluent are discharged to the outside or dried in a dry environment, but do not play a role in a wet environment. Because it can be performed, wound healing proceeds efficiently.

 Most dressing patches available to date provide only this wet environment. Recently, products that have improved antimicrobial properties, including silver-based ingredients, have emerged, but there are currently no products that can accurately manage the degree of wound healing by measuring multiple markers simultaneously.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dressing patch that can monitor the level of the wound and the degree of healing of the wound in real time using the exudates generated at the wound site.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a dressing patch for preventing the penetration of the sensing material for sensing the substance contained in the exudate into the wound site.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a dressing layer in contact with the wound of the user, a sensing unit formed on the dressing layer to generate an electrical signal, electrically connected to the sensing unit, generated in the sensing unit And a cover portion overlapping the data collection unit and the dressing layer collecting the electrical signal, the cover unit being adhered to the body of the user, wherein the sensing unit contacts the exudates absorbed by the dressing layer to generate an electrical signal. To provide a dressing patch.

In one embodiment, the sensing unit may include an electrode, a sensing material applied on the electrode, and an immobilization material for fixing the sensing material.

In one embodiment, the sensing material may be a catalyst for promoting oxidation or reduction of a predetermined material.

In one embodiment, the sensing material may include at least one of glucose oxidase and uric acid degrading enzyme.

In an embodiment, the data collector may be detachable from the sensing unit, and may include a voltage applying unit applying a voltage to the electrode and a current measuring unit specifying a current value generated from the electrode.

In one embodiment, the sensing unit may include at least one of a pH sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a uric acid sensor, and a glucose sensor.

In one embodiment, the dressing layer may be made of any one of polyurethane, hydrocolloid, calcium alginate, hydrofiber.

In example embodiments, the dressing layer may include a plurality of pores, and the porosity of the pores may increase as the distance from the sensing unit increases.

In one embodiment, the dressing layer is composed of a plurality of layers, the porosity of each of the layers may be larger as the distance away from the sensing unit.

According to the present invention, since the pH, temperature, humidity, and the kind of substances generated in the wound can be monitored in real time, it is possible to accurately determine the replacement timing and the level of treatment of the dressing patch.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a dressing patch according to the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view of a dressing patch according to the present invention.
3 is a conceptual view showing a modified embodiment of the dressing patch according to the present invention.
4A and 4B are conceptual views illustrating a sensing material and an immobilization material.
5 is a block diagram illustrating a data collector.
6 is a graph showing a current value according to the concentration of glucose collected through the data collector.
7 is a flowchart of signal processing through the NFC method.
8 is a flowchart of signal processing in a BLE method.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles from each other. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed herein, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed herein, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings are only for easily understanding the embodiments disclosed in the present specification and are not to be construed as limiting the technical spirit disclosed in the present specification by the accompanying drawings.

Also, when an element such as a layer, region or substrate is referred to as being on another component "on", it is to be understood that it may be directly on another element or intermediate elements may be present therebetween. There will be.

The present invention relates to a dressing patch capable of quantitatively measuring the component of a wound fluid generated at the wound site when a wound occurs. In order to accurately determine the state of the wound, various markers should be used simultaneously. Hereinafter, the dressing patch which can analyze the exudate quantitatively is demonstrated concretely.

The dressing patch 100 according to the present invention includes a dressing layer 110, the sensing units 120a to 120e, the data collection unit 130, and the cover unit 140. Hereinafter, the above components will be described in detail.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a dressing patch according to the invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dressing patch according to the invention.

The dressing layer 110 contacts the wound of the user. The dressing layer 110 covers the wound and keeps the wound around in a wet state. The exudate generated from the wound is absorbed into the dressing layer 110, and when the exudate is large, the exudate is spread throughout the dressing layer 110.

In order to effectively absorb the exudate, the dressing layer 110 may be made of any one of polyurethane, hydrocolloid, calcium alginate, and hydrofiber.

The dressing layer 110 is formed in a surface form, one surface of the dressing layer 110 is in contact with the wound of the user, the sensing unit 120 for generating an electrical signal is disposed on the other surface and the other surface.

When the amount of the exudate absorbed in the dressing layer 110 is large, the exudate reaches the sensing unit 120. The sensing unit 120 generates an electrical signal based on the type, concentration, concentration of the exudate, and the amount of the exudate contained in the exudate.

The sensing unit 120 may include a plurality of sensors 120a to 120e. Hereinafter, each of the sensors constituting the sensing unit will be described in more detail.

3 is a conceptual diagram showing a modified embodiment of the dressing patch according to the present invention, Figures 4a and 4b is a conceptual diagram showing a sensing material and an immobilization material.

The pH of the exudate and the temperature around the wound are important information to determine the healing of the wound. In order to monitor the degree of healing of the wound, the sensing unit 120 according to the present invention may include a pH sensor and a temperature sensor.

The pH of the exudate changes in a constant pattern from the time of the wound to the healing of the wound. For example, in acute wounds, the pH of the exudate decreases shortly after the wound, then begins to increase over time, and decreases again as the wound heals. By measuring the pH of the exudate, the extent of the current wound healing can be determined. To this end, the sensing unit according to the present invention includes a pH sensor.

On the other hand, as the wound heals, the temperature around the wound changes. To monitor this, the sensing unit according to the present invention includes a temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature of the dressing layer.

 Mild wounds can be monitored for healing of the wound with only the two sensors described above. However, if the wound is a severe condition or the user has a disease, an additional sensor is needed to monitor the wound condition.

In one embodiment, the sensing unit 120 according to the present invention may include a wet sensor for generating an electrical signal according to the wet state of the dressing layer. As the wound heals, the amount of exudate from the wound decreases, and the present invention monitors the amount of exudate to determine the extent of healing of the wound.

In another embodiment, the sensing unit 120 according to the present invention may include a sensor capable of measuring the concentration of at least one of glucose and uric acid contained in the exudate.

To this end, the sensing unit 120 may include a sensor having an electrode, a sensing material applied on the electrode, and an immobilization material for fixing the sensing material.

The electrode may be made of any material that can be used in an electrochemical biosensor, such as gold, silver, and carbon electrodes. The electrode may be formed on the dressing layer 110 by a method such as sputtering, screen printing, or inkjet printing. However, the method of forming the electrode is not limited thereto.

On the other hand, the sensing material is applied on the electrode. Here, the sensing material is a catalyst for promoting oxidation or reduction of a predetermined material.

In one embodiment, the sensing material may be a glucose oxidase. In diabetics, the concentration of glucose in the exudate has a major effect on wound healing, so the concentration of glucose should be monitored periodically.

Glucose oxidase promotes the oxidation of glucose into glucolic lactones. In this process, hydrogen peroxide is generated, and the concentration of glucose can be calculated by measuring the amount of current generated by the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide.

In another embodiment, the sensing material may be a uric acid degrading enzyme. In the case of severe wounds, the concentration of uric acid in the exudate has a major effect on wound healing, so the concentration of uric acid should be monitored periodically.

Uricase enzymes promote the oxidation of uric acid to allantoin. In this process, hydrogen peroxide is generated, and the concentration of glucose can be calculated by measuring the amount of current generated by the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide.

On the other hand, in order to help electron transfer in the oxidation of glucose and uric acid, an electron transfer medium may be utilized. Here, the electron transfer medium may be any one of Ferrocenemethanol, Potassium ferricyanide, and Prussian Blue, but is not limited thereto. The electron transfer medium is mixed with the sensing material and fixed on the electrode.

Meanwhile, in order to fix the sensing material to the electrode, an immobilization material is required. An immobilization material immobilizes the sensing material on the electrode. As shown in Figure 4 (a), the immobilization material may be a dressing formulation in the form of form, may be a dressing formulation in the form of Hydrogel as shown in Figure 4 (b).

The dressing formulation 210 'of the Form form is suitable for wounds in which the exudate is excessively generated because the dressing formulation itself can absorb the exudate.

Alternatively, the dressing formulation 210 'in the form of hydrogel may be used when a small amount of exudate occurs. In the case of hydrogel, the sensing material may be more strongly fixed than the dressing formulation of the form. Thus, hydrogels are more advantageous in terms of stability than dressing formulations in form.

The sensor formed on the dressing layer 110 may vary depending on the type of wound. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, only a pH sensor 120d and a temperature sensor 120e may be used for a mild wound. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the uric acid sensor 120b, the wet sensor 120c, the pH sensor 120d, and the temperature sensor 120e may be used for the severe wound. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3 (c), the wound of the diabetic patient may be utilized glucose sensor (120a), uric acid sensor (120b), wet sensor (120c), pH sensor (120d) and temperature sensor (120e).

On the other hand, the present invention provides a structure of the dressing layer for preventing the sensing material contained in the sensor from penetrating into the wound.

The dressing layer 110 is provided with a plurality of pores to absorb the exudates of the wound. The present invention gradually changes the porosity of the dressing layer to prevent the sensing material from penetrating into the wound.

In detail, the porosity of the dressing layer increases as the distance from the sensing unit increases. In other words, the closer the wound is, the greater the number of pores. The higher the porosity, the more actively the absorption of the material occurs, so that the absorption of exudate takes place actively near the wound. Through this, the dressing layer may make the surroundings of the wound a wet environment.

In contrast, since the absorption of the material occurs relatively around the sensing unit having a relatively small number of pores, the sensing material may be prevented from being absorbed into the dressing layer.

On the other hand, in order to gradually change the porosity, the dressing layer may be composed of a plurality of layers. In detail, the dressing layer may be formed of a plurality of layers having different porosities, and the porosity of each layer becomes smaller as it moves away from the sensing unit. This can provide a structure in which the porosity is gradually changed.

As described above, the present invention provides a structure for preventing the sensing material from penetrating into the wound while allowing the dressing layer to absorb the exudate smoothly.

Meanwhile, the electrical signal generated by the electrode is collected by the data collector 130. The data collector 130 is electrically connected to the sensing unit 120 to collect electrical signals generated by the sensing unit 120. The data collection unit 130 may be formed to be detachable from the sensing unit 120. Through this, the present invention allows the data collection unit 130 to be reused even if the dressing layer is replaced.

Hereinafter, the components constituting the data collection unit will be described in detail.

5 is a block diagram illustrating a data collector, FIG. 6 is a graph showing a current value according to the concentration of glucose collected through the data collector, FIG. 7 is a flowchart of signal processing through an NFC method, and FIG. 8 is This is a flowchart for signal processing in the BLE method.

Referring to FIG. 5, the data collector 130 includes a voltage applying unit 320 for applying a voltage to the electrode, and a current measuring unit 330 for measuring a current generated from the electrode. The voltage applying unit 320 is utilized to induce redox of a predetermined material included in the output. In order to induce the redox of the predetermined material, a voltage may be applied by a cyclic voltammetry method or a voltage may be applied by an amperometry method.

Meanwhile, the current generated by the redox reaction (see FIG. 6) is converted into an analog signal voltage by the current measuring unit 330, and the converted analog signal is converted into a digital signal through the microcomputer AD converter 340. . The converted digital signal is transmitted to the main information processing unit such as a smartphone through the wireless communication unit 350, and in order to obtain meaningful information, the digital signal value is converted into a concentration value through a preset calibration formula, and then converted into a concentration value through a relationship algorithm with other data. It will indicate the healing of the wound.

 The wireless communication unit 350 has a number of methods such as Bluetooth (BLE), Zigbee, NFC, but in the case of a serious wound, the BLE method is suitable for severe wounds requiring continuous monitoring. Do.

On the other hand, the dressing layer 110 is fixed to the body through the cover layer 140. The cover layer 140 overlaps the dressing layer 110 and is adhered to the user's body. Referring to FIG. 2, the dressing layer 110 is disposed to overlap a portion of the wound 210 of the user's body 200, and the cover is disposed to overlap the dressing layer 110.

Meanwhile, the cover layer 140 may be disposed to overlap the data collector 130. In this way, the cover layer 140 allows the data collection unit 130 and the sensing unit 120 to maintain an electrical connection.

The cover layer 140 may be made of the same material as the material used in the conventional dressing patch.

According to the present invention, since the pH, temperature, humidity, and the kind of substances generated in the wound can be monitored in real time, it is possible to accurately determine the replacement timing and the level of treatment of the dressing patch.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential features of the present invention.

In addition, the above detailed description should not be interpreted as limiting in all aspects and should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the invention are included in the scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

A dressing layer in contact with the wound of the user;
A sensing unit formed on the dressing layer to generate an electrical signal;
A data collection unit electrically connected to the sensing unit to collect electrical signals generated by the sensing unit; And
The cover layer overlaps with the dressing layer, and includes a cover portion formed to adhere to the body of the user.
The sensing unit,
Dressing patch, characterized in that for generating an electrical signal in contact with the exudates absorbed into the dressing layer. The method of claim 1,
The sensing unit,
electrode;
A sensing material applied on the electrode; And
Dressing patch comprising an immobilization material for fixing the sensing material. The method of claim 2,
The sensing material,
Dressing patch, characterized in that the catalyst for promoting the oxidation or reduction of a predetermined material. The method of claim 3,
The sensing material is a dressing patch comprising at least one of glucose oxidase and uric acid degrading enzyme. The method of claim 2,
The data collection unit is formed to be detachable from the sensing unit,
A voltage applying unit applying a voltage to the electrode; And
Dressing patch comprising a current measuring unit for specifying a current value generated in the electrode. The method of claim 1,
The sensing unit,
A dressing patch comprising at least one of a pH sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a uric acid sensor, and a glucose sensor. The method of claim 1,
The dressing layer,
Dressing patch comprising any one of polyurethane, hydrocolloid, calcium alginate, hydrofiber. The method of claim 1,
The dressing layer includes a plurality of pores,
Porosity of the pores dressing patch, characterized in that the greater the distance away from the sensing unit. The method of claim 8,
The dressing layer is composed of a plurality of layers,
The porosity of each of the layers is increased as the distance away from the sensing portion.

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